


Тень

by Stars_dreaming (orphan_account)



Series: 88 MCU drabbles and oneshots [76]
Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Winter Soldier (Comics)
Genre: Author Is Sleep Deprived, Disney World & Disneyland, Driving, F/M, Fun, I Don't Even Know, Japan, Just Add Kittens, Road Trips, Russia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-17
Updated: 2019-05-17
Packaged: 2020-03-07 00:18:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18861898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Stars_dreaming
Summary: Bucky tries to remember. A familiar face helps him; while Steve and Sam search for Steve's long-lost best friend all over the world.





	Тень

**побег**

  

**˄ ESCAPE ˅**

 

**ꕥ**

 

The Asset isn't sure why he saves the man from the bridge. Maybe it is because he remembers him - because he knows him from somewhere. In all honesty, it is one of the first times he has openly defied orders, and for some reason his head can't feel clearer. He wants to remember - is trying to remember where he knows the man from the bridge of. 

And yet he also knows that if he will actively pursuit that idea, his handlers will find him soon enough - especially if he stays with the man from the bridge. 

Instead, he lets the man from the bridge behind in the sand, while a shadow hovers behind the trees. The shadow follows him, eerily quiet, until they reach the motorcycle.

The shadow disappears and leaves behind a cloaked woman. Only her lips and chin are visible from under her hood, and he knows better than to look at the scars there - he settles his eyes on the blazing sun in the sky instead. 

«Уверены ли вы», she asks. He looks at her now, and his lips settle into a firm line. «Я помню его», he answers. He can almost feel her lifted eyebrow. "Well," she continues in English, "then we shall be on our way."

 

**ꕥ**

 

He had met her after Hydra had first programmed him. She had been the only one there who never showed her face. Nobody ever questioned her, even though she rarely talked. One time, after a mission they had been set up on together, she had cleaned his injuries in their motel room before returning to Hydra. 

That was the first time he had heard her speak. 

The Asset couldn't fall in love. So why did he?

 

**ꕥ**

 

«Тень», he says softly. She doesn't turn around and doesn't spare him a second glance. 

«Мне нужна ваша помощь». "Please," he adds, then. She tenses visibly, and he wants to reach out and touch the scars littering her skin. "Did they find you?"

"Almost. They also found another lead on Uyandi." She chuckles darkly. "Uyandi is deserted. I made sure of that." Normal people would fear the coldness in her voice, but he isn't. Then again, he's not a normal person. 

Winter Soldier. The Asset. Солдат. Ghost. The New Fist of Hydra. The list goes on and on. But now he just goes by Bucky, as the man from the bridge had called him. 

But Bucky is not a normal person either. He's friends with шпион, or Тень, one of Hydra's specialized assassins. 

"What about Deputatsky?"

"Romanov will find it on her own. What do you want, Солдат? Do you want them to find you?"

He doesn't know. She looks at him, and he can't see her face even though he desperately wants to, because it's hidden by Hydra's mask. Ever since the man from the bridge ripped his own off his face, Bucky hasn't worn it. But she seems to be attached to it. He knows it's not because she wants to hide her face from him - on the contrary, they've seen more from each other than either of them would like to admit.

"I don't know," he answers truthfully. 

"If they find Deputatsky, it will only be a matter of time before they find Tenkeli. And if they can, Hydra can too."

Bucky winces. "I'm sorry," she immediately says. "That's not... that's not what I meant. I'm just worried. I don't want them to take you again."

"And what about you?" He asks, and she lifts her face. He almost reaches out but stops himself in time. "Hydra can't get to me anymore," she says. "Everything they could, they took away. The Shadow doesn't exist anymore."

"So you're going Ghost mode?"

He wants to laugh at what he's asking, because it sounds ridiculous. But in their line of business, it is a legitimate question. "Maybe. Maybe not. That title belongs to you."

"It belongs to the Winter Soldier," he replies flatly. "I am not the Winter Soldier anymore."

She doesn't answer, and they stand in the room in silence. 

 

**ꕥ**

 

They leave a few days later, when Bucky has already made sure Steve and his friend Sam Wilson are on the right track. 

They steal a car and cramp themselves and all their weapons in it. Shadow still doesn't take off her mask, but she lets him put his hand on hers as she drives over the road. 

 

When the sun sets, it's already snowing, and there's no hotel in sight. In favour of camping, they decide to sleep in the car by the side of the road. 

Shadow lets Bucky wrap himself around her like a koala and doesn't say a word when he tells her goodnight. They stay like that until the sun comes up again. 

 

Shadow wakes up first and lets him stay asleep as she starts the car again and drives them up the road towards Deputatsky. 

 

"We need to drive about fifteen more hours," she tells him when they stop to have lunch. It's not freezing, but it's still cold outside, and Bucky has wrapped himself in a furry blanket. Shadow looks at him for a while. 

"We'll need a cover too," she says then. "I already called someone I know that can create us fake id's. You're going to be Demyan Nariskina, and I'll be Valya Nariskina."

"A couple?"

"It's the best excuse I can come up with to travel through Russia. We need to travel at least two thousand miles before we reach the coast. From Vladivostok we'll take an airplane to Sapporo in Japan, and from Sapporo we'll go to Sendai, Iwaki and Tokyo."

Bucky nods. He looks at the button of the radio, and then presses it on. The soft Russian lulls him to sleep again. 

 

**ꕥ**

 

"Russian ex-assassins on the run through Russia," Shadow jokes when they sit down in their hotel room two days later. "Never thought it would come to that. At least we still have some of Hydra's bank accounts. Those should last us."

Bucky nods. Shadow sighs. "I'm beat," she says. "I'm going to take a shower and then I'm going to bed."

She leaves him alone in the room to scan the last file she brought with her. 

On the front it says 'classified' in big red letters. Still, he flips it open and looks at Shadow's photograph before Hydra's experiments. She's still fairly young on the photo, but already possesses the fierce character he's come to love over the years. 

He leafs through the file and stops at her personal information. 

 **ФИО** **:** _Milena Sviatlana Naryshkina,_  he sees, and he immediately closes the file. That's none of his business. Her name is a private thing. 

His cheeks are burning with embarrassment and he quickly puts the file away. 

When Shadow -  _Valya_ , he reminds himself, she's Valya now - enters the room, he's already under the covers. 

 

The next morning, they get up late to catch their flight to Jakoetsk. 

The flight is short, and Bucky sleeps again. He seems to do a lot of sleeping lately, while Valya only stays awake. He thinks he hasn't seen her sleep in days. It shouldn't worry him, but it does. 

 

After that, it feels more like a vacation. It gets just a hint warmer as they keep driving south to Aldan, and Bucky eventually lets his hair fall loose on his shoulders and breathes in the fresh air outside. 

They stop to pump gas and Bucky buys Valya some candy. 

"Taste it," he says. She looks at the candy and then carefully takes it out of his hands. 

She stops the car a bit further down the road and he looks away when she lifts her mask and slowly chew on the candy. 

«Хорошо», she says when he gets into the car again. He smiles at her and they switch places so he can drive the remaining three hours. 

 

They rent a hotel room in Aldan, which only has a bed for two. "I'll sleep on the floor," Bucky immediately offers. Valya looks at him. "You don't have to," she says softly. "We've slept in the same bed countless times."

But he can't remember that. And he wants to - god, he does, he wants to remember what it feels like to touch her and see her - but he doesn't and that breaks him more than he'd like to admit. 

Once they're in their room, Valya jumps on the bed and falls asleep. He doesn't join her, and stays awake all night, contemplating his life. 

 

**ꕥ**

 

Bucky has a nightmare on their fourth night in Aldan, and Valya immediately packs all their stuff and they drive to Tynda until Bucky falls asleep again. 

Valya looks at him and smiles to herself - pets his hair, and then focuses on the road again. 

 

"Just ten more hours on the road," Valya says as she opens the map in their hotel room. Tynda is a bigger city and thus has a larger scale of hotels to offer - which is why Valya chose a five-star hotel because they deserve some luxury. 

Bucky groans. "Only those?"

"No," Valya says, and that's when he hears her laugh again. He immediately gets up in bed and watches her with a strange expression on his face. 

"What is it?" She asks immediately. The corner of his mouth curls up. "You laughed. It's- I haven't heard that sound in a long time."

She nods and bows over the map again. For once, she's glad that the mask can hide her blush. 

"From Blagovesjtsjensk we'll have to drive another six and a half hours before we reach Birobidzjan. From there we have a drive of only two and a half hours before we reach the airport in Chabarovsk," she explains. Bucky huffs and shifts on the bed. 

She follows the route with her finger and tries to guess how many days it'll take them to reach Chabarovsk. 

 

Rogers and Wilson catch up with them in Tynda. Well, not really catch up. They spot Bucky in a coffee shop and immediately run towards it, but when they enter, the former Winter Soldier is long gone. 

 

###  **застрял**

 

**˄ STUCK ˅**

 

**ꕥ**

 

After a weeklong stay in Tynda, they rent another car to drive to Blagovesjtsjensk. 

Bucky drives now, and Valya enjoys the cold wind on her neck and wrists. 

 

When they stop, they notice a small basket on the road. 

Valya immediately gets out, with a gun in her hand. She points it at the basket, until she hears a soft meow. 

«Боже мой», she exclaims, and she quickly puts her gun away to inspect the basket closely. Inside of it are two small kittens, whose ribs she can see through their fur. They are meowing and look dirty. She quickly picks them up and carries them inside the car. 

Bucky eyes the kittens with curious eyes as she wraps them in two blankets. "We need to find a vet, and soon."

 

They find a vet in Taldan. He inspects the kittens and gives them a few vaccines before he cleans them up and they're good to go. 

Bucky pays him more than he should, but he knows it's a small town and the vet doesn't earn much money. He looks surprised but takes the money readily. 

 

"You like animals," Bucky states as soon as they're on the road again. Valya looks up from the kittens. "I do," she answers. 

She curls her fingers in their fur and feeds them every three hours as Bucky turns up the radio and hums along to a Russian lullaby. 

He doesn't notice her watching him. 

 

**ꕥ**

 

They arrive in Blagovesjtsjensk a day later, and immediately stumble into their hotel room and fall asleep. 

When Bucky wakes up, his arm is curled around Valya's waist and her nose is pressed in his shoulder - which means she took off her mask. He kisses her forehead softly and closes his eyes again. 

The next time he wakes, Valya is in the shower and there's breakfast on the table in their room.

 

"So this drive will be short," Valya explains as they're in the car. "We don't have time for sightseeing because we need to catch our flight on time. Bucky?"

"Hmm?" He looks up from feeding the first kitten, whom they named Natalia. The second kitten, a black one with a white spot on her right eye, is named Tatiana, and meow's loudly to catch her caretaker's attention. Bucky chuckles and pets her. 

Valya makes a sound but starts the car and starts driving. 

 

"See that," Bucky says, and he points to the beautiful landscape on their right. A few men are working on the land, and they wave when the car passes. Bucky makes Natalia wave at them, and he sees them laugh before they round a corner and the landscape disappears. 

 

The city is bustling with life, and Valya dumps the car in an alleyway. 

"Okay, how in the world are we going to get all those weapons and these kittens on the plane?"

Valya laughs again, and he smiles, because he wants to hear that laugh a lot more times. (most of all - he wants to be the person to make her laugh)

"The kittens will be fine," she says. "But we'll have to leave our weapons here."

"Really?" He sends their duffel bags a look and Valya laughs again. "Yes, really. But we have plenty of time to buy new ones in Japan. I know a few dealers there."

"You have an awful lot of friends," he says, and she laughs again.

 

The flight to Vladivostok is only one hour and twenty minutes, and then they have to race to the next gate to catch their next flight to Sapporo.

The kittens are indeed not a problem and Valya actually holds Bucky's hand when they get through customs. He tries to ignore how much his heart leaps at the gesture, but then he feels her squeeze and he can't stop smiling. 

 

He sleeps the entire flight and misses Natalia's and Tatiana's feeding hour. 

 

**ꕥ**

 

Together with Nat, Sam and Steve find out that Bucky is headed to Tokyo. 

They decide to take a few shortcuts - as far as that's possible in Russia, since all the cities are so far apart - to catch up with Steve's best friend earlier. 

 

**ꕥ**

 

Instead of taking the plane, Valya and Bucky decide to take the car to Sendai. 

Valya drives again, and Bucky gets the time to sleep. 

His memory is starting to come back again - everything falls into place. 

And he remembers again how it feels to have Valya in his arms, and how it feels to kiss Hydra's Shadow, and that sometimes they got their moments that were Hydra free. 

He also remembers when they parted, and he remembers what it felt like for him to watch her watch him getting put back into cryo by his handlers. 

He doesn't want to feel that again. 

 

Sendai is a beautiful city, and they stay in an apartment in one of the biggest hotels of the city. 

They take the kittens to a blossom park, where the trees are a beautiful pink colour and there are so many people they can blend in easily. 

 

It's the first time that Bucky eats a burger. 

To his surprise, he doesn't like it at all. Instead, he steals from Valya's salad, and she simply laughs and lets him. 

 

She takes the mask off that night, and shows him her face, which he now remembers clearly. 

«Моя любовь», he mumbles. "You're so beautiful." She doesn't cry, but he can see she's close. To avoid a difficult conversation, he kisses her. She returns the kiss with fervor and they reacquaint themselves with their bodies. 

 

**ꕥ**

 

"I remember him," he tells her when they're in the train to Iwaki. She looks at him and lifts an eyebrow. He smiles because he gets to see that beautiful face every day and he doesn't ever want to stop. 

"Steve, I mean. Stevie, I think I called him. Some things are a bit foggy, but I remember most things. He's my best friend."

She smiles at him, genuine and kind, and he tears up at that, because she really is the one who stands by his side forever. 

 

"Natalia is really an attention-seeker," Valya tells him when they feed the kittens again. Natalia crawls up Valya's blouse and nestles on Valya's shoulder. Despite Valya's statement, the Russian pets the white kitten with all the love she can muster, and Bucky has to blink his tears away again. 

He's happy he gets to see this soft side of her in a time of peace. 

 

**ꕥ**

 

Bucky likes Tokyo, but nothing can ever top Moscow or New York. 

He likes the crowds though and takes it as an excuse to hold Valya's hand and never let go. 

 

They eat in a vegan restaurant and sit in a secluded corner. 

"My real name is Milena," she tells him then. He smiles at her. "Thank you," he says, and she takes his hand and squeezes it. 

 

They visit a few musea and art collections - walk in the parks and take two days off to swim in their private pool in their hotel apartment. 

Bucky cooks for her on the night of her birthday, and she cries, and he simply holds her. 

 

###  **свобода**

 

**˄ FREEDOM ˅**

 

**ꕥ**

 

Steve finds Bucky in a park one day. 

It's not really on purpose - he and Sam had a huge fight the day before and he wants to buy Sam breakfast to make it up to him while Nat's away on official (SHIELD) business.

 

Bucky is sitting on a bench, looking out over a lake. 

Steve, startled, sits down next to him. When his childhood best friend turns to him with a smile, Steve can't help the grin growing on his face. 

 

He finds out Bucky isn't alone anymore. Has never been, actually. He talks about the Shadow, and Steve vaguely remembers Nat saying something about long-lost documents about Hydra's Shadow. 

"You're in love with her," Steve says, and Bucky nods with a smile. 

Steve knows it's going to be okay. 

 

When he reunites with Sam at their hotel, they start yelling at each other until Steve lets out an 'because I love you' in the middle of the argument. Sam looks at him with wide eyes and then crosses the room in three steps until he stands before Steve. 

And Steve bows down and kisses him, and they claw at each other's clothing until they fall on the bed and start researching each other's bodies.

 

**ꕥ**

 

Bucky and Steve meet a few more times. The third time they meet in a tea shop and Steve brings Sam with him. 

Bucky wanted to take Valya with him, but she refused and said that he needed the time to get to know his childhood friend again. 

 

Valya passed the shop in the late afternoon, and it's the first time she's not wearing her mask outside. She looks at the three men, sitting around the table, laughing, and then she keeps walking.

 

"You're not hiding anymore?" Her contact asks her as soon as she takes the guns from him. She keeps her eyes trained on the handle of it - keeps her hands from shaking. 

"The Shadow doesn't exist anymore," she replies flatly. "And neither does the Ghost."

"And what about your handlers?"

Valya shrugs. "We can take care of them.  _I_ will take care of them. My friend- he deserves some peace and quiet."

"Okay," the woman says, and Valya looks at the other weapons in front of her. "Need a team?"

Valya smirks and looks up again. "I'd love one."

 

**ꕥ**

 

Bucky is not entirely sure what he was expecting, but it surely wasn't this. 

Valya parks the car and steps out - let's the sun shine on her face. When she looks at him, he notices the way the sun shines in her eyes and how it makes her look every bit of angelic he knows she's not. 

He smiles and gets out as well, just in time to see Steve, Sam and Natasha coming their way. 

 

"We're in Disneyland?"

"Tokyo's Disneyland," Steve explains. "We wanted to make sure you enjoy your last days here."

Bucky glances over at Valya, who's leaning against the car. She's dressed in casual attire - it's the first time he sees her like that. Grey pants and a yellow hoodie above it, with her long hair tied up in a bun on her head. She's wearing glasses, too, even though she doesn't need them. 

«маскировать», she says softly when she passes him. 

"Who is she?" Sam asks softly, but Bucky doesn't answer. Natasha makes an undignified noise. "You're saying you don't remember her? I gave you two a file about the Shadow, remember?"

"There was almost no- oh." Sam sighs. "She's the Shadow?" Steve asks. "No longer the Shadow," Bucky whispers. "Her name is Valya."

 

Disneyland is amazing. Bucky stays with Steve most of the time, while Natasha and Sam introduce Valya to the wonders of Disneyland while also updating her on everything she missed in the past century.

It’s fun and it’s sunny and it’s everything Bucky needs.

This, he thinks, this, I wouldn’t trade for the world.

He sees Valya laugh at a stuffed animal and buys her one immediately – which she carries around proudly.

 

Later, they get candy from a store and sit outside in the sun for a while.

“You know,” Sam sighs. “I can’t believe that after all this time we got here.”

Steve smiles. “Yeah, and Bucky and Valya probably used something to get her super-fast. They truly are like shadows, swift and invisible.”

Valya raises an eyebrow.

“We travelled seventy-five hours to get here, Wilson.”

“That’s a lot of hours,” Steve comments with a smirk and now she turns to him.

“Three thousand, five hundred and fifty miles. That’s a lot of effort, Rogers. Be glad I didn’t kill you on the spot.”

Bucky snorts and carefully takes Valya’s hand. The move doesn’t go unnoticed, and Natasha smiles to herself.

 

“She scares me man,” Sam later whispers to Steve.

His boyfriend bursts out laughing.


End file.
